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the sweet scoop

the sweet scoop

The fifth anniversary of Cochon 555 kicked off in NYC with the tour’s first-ever all-female lineup of chefs. The nationwide traveling culinary competition, designed to raise awareness of heritage breed pigs and sustainable practices, challenged Big Apple chefs Alex Guarnaschelli, Missy Robbins, Elizabeth Falkner, Leah Cohen andShanna Pacifico to create a multi-course menu using an entire 200-lb. porker, from nose-to-tail. Hundreds of swine-loving gourmands gathered in Chelsea’s Pier Sixty to savor the meat-centric spread, while sipping wine from five different producers, a variety of spirits and punches from local mixologists.

A panel of esteemed chefs and judges, along with the crowd, voted for their favorite of the day. Besides scoring the ultimate bragging rights, the winning chef was crowned Princess of Porc and will advance to compete at Grand Cochon during the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Cochon 555 founder Brady Lowe invited me to shoot a video at the action-packed event. Check out the clip below to see which fierce female was crowned 2013 NYC Princess of Porc!

Happy one year anniversary to Alobar! Since opening in November 2011, this cutting-edge dining destination in Long Island City has taken “pub grub” to new heights, and has become renowned for serving rustic nose-to-tail American fare paired with carefully selected craft beers, whiskeys and handcrafted cocktails. Alobar even earned a coveted place on Michelin Guide’s 2013 Bib Gourmand List.

Alobar’s owner Jeff Blath and chef Ian Kapitan

To celebrate its first anniversary on November 15th, Alobar is hosting a week of especially delicious events:

Whiskey Tuesday with Four Roses Bourbon | Tuesday, November 13th: To kickoff the celebrations, Beverage Director Chess Lankford presents a complimentary tasting of Four Roses Bourbon, along with a brand rep to share insights on each variety of the Kentucky spirit.